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2011-05-25 - The Knight and the Angel
It's night, and most kids Elizraim's age would be at home--either in bed or getting hastened off to it by their parents. But not Elizraim...not tonight, anyway. No, ey's engaged in a high-speed chase. A few men in a car are racing down the street at well above the speed limit, and Elizraim is following along...in the sky. Ey's in costume, wings out, but ey's still in kid form. And above, Iron Man...descending rapidly as he sees the chase scene. Kid with wings pursuing car. Of course, he is not making a snap judgment...waiting to intervene and scanning the car. There anything there that shouldn't be? Three people in the car--two in the front seats, armed with uzi. The third, in the back seat, is bound. Looks like the flying kid discovered a kidnapping. "Surrender at once!" the child yells down. "You cannot escape!" The only reply? The passenger sticks his gun out the window and opens fire, forcing the child to take some quick, evasive action--spinning aside from the burst, ey flies quickly over some nearby buildings, using the roofs to keep emself mostly hidden from the car and out of the line of fire. No special equipment aside from the guns, and no one's exhibiting any power use. Kidnappee is a child, female, probably about 6 or 7. Kidnappers are wearing suits. Aha. Okay. That establishes who the 'good guy' is. And while the guy's shooting at the kid, Iron Man drops out of the sky in front of the car, one hand lifted in the 'stop' gesture. He's giving them plenty of space to do so...that kid in the back's probably not strapped in. "Did you get 'em?" the driver asks, looking over at his buddy. "I don't know!" the other replies, scanning the skies. "Oh, s***!" the driver says, as he turns back to watch the road in time to see Iron Man drop down in front of them. He starts to slow, but turns the wheel, trying to maneuver around the hero so he can pick up speed again. Elizraim, meanwhile, takes the opportunity to get ahead of the car emself, remaining aerial and out of the line of fire, but holding out a hand towards the car and taking careful aim. Okay. He's slowed down, but he's not going to stop. And even Tony knows that you don't attack the vehicle containing the hostage. Iron Man lifts off again, pacing the car. Maybe he's hoping to rattle the guy into a mistake? The guy certainly seems tense, and his mood doesn't improve. The passenger is turning his gun towards Iron Man when a bright, silvery beam of light lances down from the sky--where Elizraim has just come out of cover--and hits the passenger. He lets out a scream, falling limp, though not totally unconscious. The driver curses again, only managing to turn to try to dodge too late, but keeps control of the vehicle. Still keeping up a steady stream of swearing, he holds his own weapon out the window and opens fire on Iron Man. Plink. Plink. Shooting Iron Man with an Uzi...not going to do very much. Hrm. "Don't shoot the driver!" Whoever the child is, if ey stuns the driver, it might not end up pretty, but he might surrender once he realizes he's outgunned. Which he is. Badly. "I know that much!" Elizraim calls back, irritably. Besides, I don't have enough power left to do that... ey thinks. Although the terror the girl's feeling is taking care of that problem pretty quickly. "Surrender!" ey calls at the man once more. The man turns the gun at em instead, and resumes firing, but Elizraim quickly swoops aside, moving in an erratic pattern. The car's undoubtedly hot. But the girl is more important. As is stopping the shooting...so far, amazingly, they haven't actually hit anyone except Iron Man. Or caused a wreck. But Iron Man twists in the air, reaching to grab the roof of the car. The girl's probably screaming unless she's drugged. The kidnapper already knew he was overmatched here...and then the roof just tears right off his car. Any last bits of professionalism he had go right out the window as that happens, and he looks so panicked he's near tears. "No, no, no!" And then...slowing just enough, he opens the door and jumps out, trying to make Iron Man choose between saving the girl and catching him. Which means he forgot Elizraim, who swoops down as he's rolling along the pavement and lands right on top of him just as he stops...then slugs him right in the jaw. Twice. Which is one more than was probably necessary. The girl, for her part, is trying to scream--the gag they've got on her is making it hard, but she's giving it her best. Iron Man lifts the girl out of the car as it careens into a wall, coming to a rather violent halt. Carefully, he lands on the sidewalk, setting her down before removing the gag. Hopefully superhero = no screaming. Hopefully. No, we've moved on to sobbing, now. The other guy, still in the car, looks to still be dazed--but the crash wasn't serious enough to cause him real injury (he got to wear a seatbelt, unlike the hostage). "My thanks for your assistance," Elizraim says, as ey turns from the unconscious man on the ground and walks towards Iron Man. "I...could do little but follow, and hope for aid." Iron Man is working on getting the girl untied as quickly as possible...so she can get some circulation back. "You did pretty good." Which is about all he'll say in the way of complimenting a kid. "I did what could be done," Elizraim says, kneeling by the girl and looking down at her. "You are safe now, little one. They will not do you harm." Ey looks up at Iron Man again. "I shall watch her...if you shall please finish...ah...apprehend the passenger." The guy's loopy, but he might recover at some point and his gun is still in the car...Iron Man's bulletproof and Elizraim's not. "Good idea." Iron Man moves to 'check on' the passenger. Who probably won't want to take him on...but might have shot at a 'little kid'. The guy is just starting to come around enough to consider going for his weapon as Iron Man approaches...and immediately reconsiders on seeing who is coming over. Shakily, he raises his hands skyward, letting the gun lie. Elizraim stays by the little girl, sitting beside her, and starts to softly sing. The words are not English, but the tune makes it clear--it is a song of comfort, the sort of song a parent might sing to a hurt and scared child. And as ey sings, the girl finally slowly calms--still sniffling, but no longer in such a panic. She watches the winged figure, quietly listening to the song. "Cops are on the way. Can you see if you can get out of her who she is and where she lives?" Because she's far more likely to talk to another kid. Elizraim nods, finishing eir little song, and questions the girl, in between reassurances, getting a name out of her--Becky Hargrove--and, a little surprisingly, a hesitantly recited address. Iron Man might recognize the family name--it's the same as the head of a fairly large software company...a man who just got into trouble with the government. Maybe he knew something about someone else, and this was an attempt to make him keep quiet. The police sirens can be heard in the distance, and Elizraim stands, but the little girl suddenly grabs eir hand, tears coming to her eyes again. "Don't..." Elizraim looks down, then over at the sirens, at Iron Man, and finally back to the little girl. "Little one, I..." "He has to." Of course, Iron man can't really manage a gentle tone, not in the suit. "I'm going to take you back to your daddy." He can't let Elizraim take her, or some schmuck would panic. Can't trust the police, not really. The little girl looks up at Iron Man, and scoots closer to Elizraim, obviously more than a little worried about the bigscarymetalsuitman. Sighing softly, Elizraim kneels again, stroking the girl's hair. "Do not fear, little one. This is a good man. He will keep you safe and take you home." "Promise?" the little girl asks. "I promise," Elizraim says. "There is nothing to fear. Have you read the tales, little one, of the brave knights and how they always defended their princess?" Receiving a nod from the girl, ey chuckles, and points at Iron Man. "He is your knight in shining armor, little one...and you are his princess. He will defend you." The little girl hesitates for a few moments more, looking at Iron Man, but all that armor doesn't look so scary when it's put in a fairytale light. She finally nods. "Okay..." Elizraim slowly stands, stroking her hair once more, and looks to Iron Man. "I entrust her to your care, sir knight." "Have you ever wanted to fly, Becky?" Not that Elizraim couldn't make that come true. And no objection to being a 'knight in shining armor'...it's even fairly shiny, after all, albeit not the traditional silver. Becky is still just a little nervous and hesitant, but finally shyly nods. She's calmed down a lot over her time talking to Elizraim, and she doesn't seem scared of Iron Man anymore. Iron Man picks the girl up carefully. He doesn't fly overly fast to her home...that might scare her further. The police can question her later...besides, he heard everything she said to Elizraim. It's not the smartest thing to do, really...but Elizraim feels a strange sort of responsibility to make sure the girl gets safely home. So...ey tails Iron Man. Ey's not obvious about it (for one thing, ey doesn't want the little girl to see em again and delay em getting away again), but ey follows Iron Man the whole way, stopping and landing several roofs from her house. The girl is quiet the whole trip, shaking a little in Iron Man's arms, but doesn't seem overly frightened...she's just had a scary experience. The house...is pretty much okay. The girl's bedroom window, on the second story, is broken, and there's a tipped-over ladder lying near it. No one is hurt. Seems like the bad guys got in and out quickly enough that no one interrupted them. There are police cars around, though, with both cops and agents. Looks like someone called in the kidnapping shortly after it occurred. Iron Man touches down outside, setting her down carefully. "Shall we see if your mom's in?" Probably worried stiff...likely in a total mess. And watching for any signs. The front door of the place opens, and the girl's mother rushes out, with a police officer hurrying after her to keep her in sight. "Becky! Oh, Becky!" She makes her way to Iron Man, and sets about quickly inspecting her daughter for any injuries--of which there aren't any, not severe at all, anyway. "Oh, thank you, sir...thank you..." "The police will probably want a statement from her in time. And there is no need to thank me, ma'am. Just doing my job." Tony is so much more polite to civilians. The woman takes her daughter, gently, and cradles her. "I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost her..." She looks at Iron Man, smiling tearfully, and nods. "I...I understand." "T'anks, mister knight," the little girl says, quietly. "Tell mister angel t'anks too..." Elizraim evidently just got an upgrade to heavenly status. Quietly, "There was another metahuman with wings there." So that the mother doesn't wonder why her kid has been seeing angels. "I need to go." Iron Man has a suspicion he might have been followed. Elizraim seemed the type. The mother nods, turning to go back into the house (much to the relief of the poor officer, who gives Iron Man a salute as the two head back indoors. In the distance, several houses away, a small winged figure lifts off the roof and starts to fly away. Iron Man does follow, although he makes a loop around so nobody else can see him heading for the kid. He wants a quick word with em, apparently. It doesn't take long before Elizraim notices ey's being followed. Briefly, ey considers making a break for it...but ey's still lower on energy than ey'd like to be, for a chase. Looking back at Iron Man, ey sighs, and slowly comes in for a landing on a rooftop of a closed business. Turning towards Iron Man, ey folds eir arms, waiting. Iron Man touches down. "You did pretty good." See. He's not mad...well, he's concerned, yes...he thinks Elizraim is very young, after all. "As did you," Elizraim says. "I am thankful for your aid. Without it, I fear I would not have been able to stop them without injury to the girl." A pause. "...and I assure you that while I believed she would be injured, I would not have tried anything. I intended only to follow as best I could, and alert any authorities I saw to the problem...or find some once they reached their destination." Iron Man nods. "And to be honest, I might not have spotted what was going on if it hadn't been for you." "Then we are each thankful for the presence of the other," Elizraim says, nodding. Ey unfolds eir arms, relaxing slightly. "At least to this point." "I'm not going to turn you in." No emotion in the mechanical voice, of course. "But you should be careful. Plenty of people would like to see you in school, not out here." Not that ey would be in school right now. "I see...you have my thanks. I do not make a habit of this, sir," Elizraim says. Eir tone is respectful, with none of eir usual arrogance. "I have done such things before...but I interfere only if I believe no one else is able. I happened to be near when the kidnapping occurred, and I did not see others about to save the girl. Thus...I felt it my responsibility." Iron Man nods. "Point is, I don't want to see you getting hurt. You should at least make sure you practice for stuff like this." That gets a little bit of a rise out of the child. "I do practice," ey says--not quite snapping, but not quite calm, either. Eir wings spread, perhaps an attempt to make em look bigger than ey is. "Every day. I am no fool, to enter battle untrained and unprepared." "You'd be surprised how many people think they have superpowers, so they can do this. They usually end up in the hospital." Iron Man can't assume everyone's sensible. "No...I doubt it would surprise me at all," Elizraim says, shaking eir head. "But I do not overreach myself...and I have no interest in dying. Nor have I interest in causing the death of another through my mistakes." "You've got a lot of sense for your age. Most kids are all charge in first, think not at all." Sad but true. "I am not most kids," Elizraim says, simply. Ey's calmed again, and folds eir wings once more. "I recognize that if I feel I must act...then I am responsible for the safety of those I am acting to aid. If my own actions endanger them, then it is better that I not act at all." Ey hmphs. "I suspect that many an adult 'superhero' would prove less aware of their responsibilities than me." Iron Man says, "Well. Nobody died, I'll call it good...that kid thinks you're an angel, by the way." Elizraim nods. "As shall I. I thank you for your discretion in this matter. I do not wish for an...uncomfortable...confrontation with the authorities." Ey chuckles, slightly. "Does she?" Eir wings flutter slightly, almost like ey's preening. "Silly little one..." But ey's clearly pleased. "She is a small child...and I heard you tell her I was a knight." Not that Tony's offended by it...and if he can slay a few dream-monsters, all the better. Elizraim nods. "My apologies. It seemed the best tale for the time...she feared the armor, so I decided to portray it as a good thing, instead. For such a child, I judged a small lie easier than the truth." "As I become better known, I hope that even small children will know I'm a good guy. It takes time, though." Having angel wings...must help, surely. As must a talent for singing little songs of comfort. "I think that she knew, in some way," Elizraim says, shaking eir head. "If she doubted, my little lie would not have sufficed. She only needed some encouragement. A good person can still make one worried, if the good person is much larger...and dressed in such a way. For my own part, I am very glad that it seems you are a good person." "The suit is rather intimidating." Just a man inside...an extremely smart and very brave one, but still a man. "Which is good when it intimidates the bad guys." Elizraim nods. "And in that I suspect you would have greater success than me." Yeah, a big armored guy is significantly more intimidating than 4'8" of skinny kid, even if the kid does have wings. "True. You need to grow some." Of course, Eli could use eir 'older' form, but Tony doesn't know about that. "Yes...well, that will come with time." Elizraim looks away for a few moments, then turns eir gaze back to Tony. "Sir, may I have your permission to leave now? I must return home...it is turning very late, and I do not wish to cause worry." Iron Man nods. "Be careful. Don't, you know, get shot down. I need to get back to my patrol anyway." "I will use caution. I ask that you do the same," Elizraim says, giving a very slight bow. Eir wings flap, and ey lifts off. "I do not think it necessary, but I shall state it anyway. If you attempt to follow me...I shall know it. You shall gain nothing by doing so." Category:Logs